Happy International Women’s Day!
There’s been a lot of struggles for women all over the world. Times when they had to fight to have a voice in public matters, times when they had to fight to have a right to vote. Times when they were counted as nothing but only a part of a man’s property. Will you be surprise to know that these ‘times’ still exits, even now? The fight continues…
Despite the odds, some women have risen to own a voice, a voice that speaks not just for themselves but for a lot of other women across continents. These women in their various circumstance have used what they had, good or bad, small or great for the lifting of other men and women. They have become a force to recon with, a voice that speaks and are heard, a movement for social change, an inspirations that has and still helps many more to rise and shine!
Your inspiring woman may not be listed here, surely there are millions of strong and great women the earth possess beginning from our mothers, wives and daughters.
Lupita Nyong’o
Full of compassion and drive, winner of the Oscar Grammy Award in 2014, the 36 years old Keyan but Mexican born actress has been described by many as “a spectacular young actress who imbues Patsey with grit and radiant grace” Brought up from the streets of Nairobi, Kanya, she has scaled to become a world-class passionate and dedicated actor.
TheNewYorkTimes‘ critic Charles Isherwood describe Nyong’o as “one of the most radiant young actors to be seen on Broadway in recent seasons, shines with a compassion that makes us see beyond the suffering to the indomitable humanity of its characters. She has won numerous awards including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, in 2012. Some of her movies includes “Twelve years a slave”, “Shuga” “Eclipsed” and the popular “Black Panther”.
Remi Owadokun
The four time Amazon best selling author and author of “How I Lost 40kg, The Journey That Changed My Life” is one of Africa’s entrepreneurs promoting healthy physical and psychological living. With a unique combination of health, tech and thought leadership. She is the founder of the Total Makeover Program, a creative health start-up focused on empowering individuals with the resources they need to live a healthy life using educational resources including online courses, mobile games and other custom built products that ensure the best results. The half Nigerian half Brazilian is one of the foremost weight loss and healthy living consultants in the country.
For the success of her books, she has this to say; “Yes the money is rolling in, but I did not write the book just because I want to make money. The idea is to help people find the good health that they seek. If I make money on the side, it only means that I have reached a lot of people.”
Folorunsho Alakija
One of Africa’s richest black woman and chairman of Famfa Oil & Gas, Mrs Folorunsho Alakija She is also The group Managing Director of The Rose of Sharon Group. Born as the eighth child of a family of 54, without a university degree, she has worked hard and achieved great success. She temporarily unseated Oprah Winfrey as the richest woman of African descent in the world in 2014. She is involved in the fashion, oil and printing industries. Her company is also a major sponsor of the Agbami medical and engineering scholarship scheme, one of the most reliable scholarship scheme in Nigeria with over a thousand people yearly as beneficiaries. Mrs Alakija is a fervent supporter of education in Nigeria. She defines an entrepreneur as someone who simply grab holds of opportunities disrupts monopolies and fosters competition and does every other thing to the Glory of God. Being a devote Christian Alakija recalled that her biggest leap in life was becoming born again at the age of 40. “I don’t think I could have got this far if I had not entered into a covenant with God. It was 25 years since I gave my life to Christ. I entered into an agreement that if he would bless me I would serve him all the days of my life.
Isabel dos Santos
The 45 years old Isabel is an Angolan-Russian businesswoman, first Africa female billionaire, Africa’s richest woman and the eldest child of Angola’s former President José Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled the country from 1979 to 2017. In 2013, according to research by Forbes, her net worth had reached more than two billion US dollars making her Africa’s first billionaire woman. In November 2015, the BBC named Isabel dos Santos as one of the 100 most influential women in the world. In the past decade, she has quickly and systematically garnered significant stakes in Angola’s strategic industries–banking, cement, diamonds and telecom.
“I advise parents to establish very early on a sense of confidence and responsibility in their girls. Teach your daughter’s life skills” Isabel dos Santos
The real slay queens…
Of course best